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Edit: I haven't got any responses but I'm really keen on getting opinions, particularly about the CLP 260--so if you don't want to read a lot, just skim through and look at the numbers

Hey all, new to this forum but i've read a lot of reviews and stuff before signing up.

First off, I want to say I'm a begginner, i've been playing for almost a year now and I've really enjoyed the piano but i've been relying on music rooms in my school. I really need something to practice with at home even though my university is nearby, I feel like I would improve more if I can play at will (uni also closes at 10pm).

I didn't shop around that much, but I really liked the korg sp250. The only way I can buy it is off ebay for $700 which is still not cheap.

I read a lot of good reviews about casio px series, mostly 130 is what I would have gone for but I don't like the key action that much. On the other hand, I could get it for $350 with stand and pedal, used.

I saw a Clavinova for sale for $300, so I jumped at the opportunity. When I talked to the seller to find out more it was a model clp 260...which from what I've read is very old, produced in 1990 I believe, but for me what matters most is the key action.

Should I go for the Clavinova? I didn't try it out but it looks like a good deal. I didn't like the casios that much, but I'm getting impatient because I've been wanting to buy since like January...Another option is the px 555r for $400.

Ideally I want the Korg, but it seems like it will be hard to find even for $700 (if i buy from ebay i'll still pay that + shipping) which is quite steep for a first instrument. I love the look of the clavinova but I want to know if there's a real problem with buying a piano that old--The main thing that bothers me is it has 76 keys but I think I can get over that.

Hi, Welcome to the forum. The Korg SP250 is a great board for the dollars, simple to use with some very good sounds. It has the RH3 action which is Korg's best at present. I work in a Music Store selling both the Korg SP250 and the Casio PX130. I know which one I would pick...SP250.

What kind of shape was the 1990 Clavinova in? When was it last maintained/refurbished? Have you actually tried the action?

To be honest, I'd be reluctant to part with any kind of money for a 21 year old DP. Yamaha instruments are certainly built to last, however there's surely a limit to how long electronic instruments can survive for. Plus it's only 76 keys...

I believe you're better off going for a brand new instrument. If you didn't like the PX-130, but the Korg is a little too expensive, how about the Yamaha P95? As always, the best thing to do is simply spend a few hours at your local music store play testing the instruments until you reach a decision.

Any good stores around here? I've decided to tell the guy selling the clp 260 I'll pass on it...Hope I won't regret it :P

Suppose I will go try to p90 at a music store and just wait around for a good deal on either a used one or a used sp250. That's right around my range and needs I think but if anyone has suggestions, even of older models I would appreciate them.

I think you made the right decision. There's not been much change in pianos over the past 10 years except that some high-end features of models that were expensive 10 years ago now appear on more modestly priced pianos.

But you were considering a 20-year-old piano from 1990. A lot changed in the 1990s ... for the better. That antique CLP260 wouldn't give you those benefits. (And that's not even considering the possibility of wear on the keyboard after all those years.)

I'm not really convinced by it...It's a little better than the Privias but it doesn't seem anywhere near the SP250. I guess I'll have to wait around until someone puts a Sp250 for sale and just go for that. There's not point in buying something that, after a few months will regret that I bought...Might as well go for what I really want now, plus my mom and brother are helping me out and giving me $400 to put into a piano.

I'm just trying to play catch-up in this brave new keyboard world, and I must say it is god-awful confusing. Keyboards, synthesizers, workstations, controllers, digital pianos, sound modules, arg! And then the brand name differences, give me a break. It's a wonder anybody actually ever buys anything LOL.

Regarding brand names, one thing that is clear is that the name Casio does not inspire confidence within pro circles. However, I keep getting vibes that Casio is trying to gain more respect and that it is starting to show up in newer products.

So, what do you think about this? Is Casio ready for prime time yet? At least newer higher end stuff?

I have to disagree with the above. At each price point a different company "wins". I think Casio has the best $500 piano and Yamaha the best $1,000 piano and at nearly double that Roland and Kawai are good.

To the OP. Have you tried the Korg SP170? price is about $500. If you like Korg it's worth trying.

I hate posts like this too. Every statement you make should be accompanied by arguments and preferably backed up by proofs. Ex: Casio = not good because they are unreliable. Proof no. 1: x% are sent back to warranty [+ source of statistics], proof no. 2: key action mechanism design is flawed[+ picture/quote to prove it]. If you can't do that, then the least you can do is state your personal experience with the brands. But that shifts the focus on personal statements vs general statements [X is not good"."].

When I considered buying a digital piano, Casio PX130 was on my short list. Some users on this forum said it's 'cheap quality brand', others said they own it and don't have any problems with it. In the end what decided it for me was the key action - I preferred Korg's RH3. But piano sample-wise, I still consider the Casio PX130 superior to the Korg SP250!

And don't think you face 0 problems with the other brands. When I received the Korg, everything was good. Then the last key got 'stuck', was coming back up but sooo slowly, if at all. Now, out of the blue, everything is good again...beats me! Then a few keys [especially G's] feel slightly different than the others on given days...on others I feel everything is OK. Conclusion: even if they're digitals, they're not [can't be] perfect all the time. Even if a brand is top notch, luck is part of the equation too.

I don't know about the casio's. I played one of the priva's once. can't remember which it was but I didn't care for the feel.

I have heard some people really enjoy those 620's, but then on the flip side you here those horror storys about the thing breaking down just outside of warranty that definitely make you take 5 steps back and reexamine. I've personally never gotten to try one so Ive no idea. But when more then just the die hard high branders post reviews id say id look full well into the build before buying.

I have no idea if your looking for a stage or a cabinet. So yamaha wise id say the p155 or many people seem to like the cp series. If I was going for a cabinet id go for the 340 or higher. Just for the extra layer of sound. May be personal taste but I thought it sounded better in the higher octaves.

Kawai. Definitely nice touch and to me that's all that really matters when you can hook that thing to a sampler. Different actions but all feel pretty nice. You could go with the RM action on the mp6 or upgrade for $1k more on the mp10 and get RM3 and essentially the mechanics of the ca93.

Cabinet wise same thing. You have the cn series for budget with the rm action or the ca series (63 93) with the rm3. I don't think theirs really a better between the two but more like preference. Well and a bit of cash.

Roland wise if I was gonna go that route id say the fp7f. It's got the action of the hp307( to me it's a way overpriced piano for what most dealers quoted me even at haggling.) But their is one thing that it has that the others don't and that is fast playing repetitive action. Your finger could be going a mile a minute different speeds, different force, and the key would hit without hitch dead on.

The sound is an nice but I personally didn't like the highs. Something just sounded fake to me. That and the touch just didn't seem to have enough girth. But then again im used to the stiff keys of a Hamilton upright.

Lot's and lots of piano's. Unfortunately theirs only one way to try em and that's spending endless amounts of your time driving out to find em. And some brand name dealerships aren't to plentiful, namely kawai and yamaha.

My take on that is that names like Roland, Korg, and Yamaha have pro respect based on their $1000+ keyboards, the kinds that pros usually use. Casio simply doesn't make any boards in that range. But I don't think anyone's sub-$1,000 keyboards are necessarily any better (or worse) than Casio's. These are simply rarely the boards pros care much about, regardless of brand. Put differently, Yamaha Motif has respect. MM? Not so much. Roland Fantom? Sure. Juno? Maybe not. The respect is based on the high-end pricey stuff. Everyone's low-end stuff is in the same boat. It's just that in Casio's case, that's all they have.

Casio's digital piano division has new upper management that comes directly from high end MI keyboard companies and not through watches and microwave ovens. One of their major goals is to improve what they acknowledge is a poor public perception about Casio's quality and service.

Source: Direct conversation at NAMM 2011.

**********************************************************************************************************Co-owner (by marriage) and part time customer service rep at an electronic musical equipment repair shop.

I've had a casio privia px330 for over a year. I bought it because we were playing at a club on a 2nd floor. It replaces my cp33, and a kurx pc1x w/ classic keys (I kept the2 boards still use 'em, too) I love it - use it all the time. No reliability issues. I am casio customer for life

I have thought this for some time, about Casio trying to change their image. Knowing the little bit about Mike Martin who sometimes visits these forums and the introduction of the new product line almost two years ago followed by the launch of the limited edition PX-3. I still think Casio needs to figure out how to make their actions more durable. This seems to be the major weakness in their new product line in my opinion. The keys just have too much side to side play. I have an older Privia that does not have loose wobbly keys. They are noisy however and used to clack but I figured out the problem was cheap felt that flattens out. They don't use woven wool felt like an acoustic for the hammers to pound against. Wool felt is not expensive and lasts a long time. This is the major reason that noise develops on Casios and the keys clack. To be fair here, spending a $1000 or more does not mean you won't have an action related problem on a more expensive digital or an acoustic paino. They all will need some maintenance at some point on the action.

I don't think Casio wants to compete in the higher end piano market like Korg, Roland, Yahama, and Kawai so it might be tough to improve quality without rasing prices. As for Casio support, they are not writing drivers for older pianos to be able to interface with 64 bit operating systems. I know they want you to buy their new stuff, but is it a major undertaking to write a driver? As for how they handle actual warranty claims, no opinion here. It seems as if Casio wants to continue to build cheap stuff that offer a lot of features for a low price. Perhaps this is a sound business model, but will it equate to a perception that Casio builds quality digital pianos? I don't think it will change a lot of people's minds about Casio.

Two weekends ago I was singing in a concert which included Bach's Magnificat and a Casio AP65R was used as the chamber organ. Given that model was dicontinued in 2004 I guess it must have been 8 or 9 years old, and it was quite sufficient for a concert where the audience was paying about $16 a ticket.

OK, using its organ function requires less of the keys but I think its a useful thing to keep in mind.

The Casios that I tried I didn't like. On the other hand there are a couple of others on the table: Yamaha YPG 525 and Kawai CL20, both reasonably priced. I think I'm going to go try the CL 20 today but is the action for the Yamaha any better than the P95?...I doubt it...Anyway I hear kawai make the best action right?

Pie, it's perhaps worth noting that the Kawai CL20 was launched in 2004, so is quite a few years older than the Yamaha P95. This doesn't necessarily mean that you should rule it out entirely, however keyboard action design/construction and sound technology has improved a fair bit in the past seven or so years.